Monthly Archives: June 2015

I was at Infocomm last week for meetings related to my 3LCD responsibilities.

It’s always interesting going to non-photo trade shows where I can learn about different technologies and markets. There’s a level of freedom for me at these shows where I’m not known and can visit the facilities without receiving a standup mid-stream sponsorship pitch. If ya know what I mean…

But Infocomm does have a connection to the photographic world as it was held in the same location as several photo trade shows, the dreaded Orlando. Followers know my disdain for this antiseptic locale with no pictures. But there was one more geographic insult, Orlando in June.

Heat, Humidity, Tourists, No Culture, and No Pictures. About as bad as it gets for me.

With 4 hours to kill before my hotel room was available, my fight or flight survival reflexes were activated and I fled to the Space Coast. My limbic system was driving my need to find cooler temperatures but while driving my right brain was saying, “Nice move, the beach at noon in a Soltice month. Guess you were out sick that first day of lighting in Photo 101”.

My limbic system prevailed. And while the temps on the beach felt 20 degrees F cooler, the light was straight overhead and uuuuuugly. I was about to give up when I saw some colorful beach umbrellas. The closer I got to the umbrellas I realized that they were looking better than they were due to the polarization of my sunglasses. That prompted me to look for reflections in sunglasses. A woman near the umbrellas was kinda enough to place her sunglasses on the top of her head and move left/right so I could find the best angle of reflection. In doing so, I was able to transform the ugly light into something more palatable and could not help but think of Cousin Itt.

Today is the 5th of June which reminded me of an image from a month earlier on 5th of May better known as, Cinco de Mayo.

In high school, I would take a two hour bus ride downtown for Cinco De Mayo events which centered in and around Broadway in my native Los Angeles.

Fast forward a few decades and instead of the bus, I was able to travel in greater luxury via a rental car and parked not far from the Bradbury Building just off Broadway.

As I made my way from Grand Central Market towards City Hall I was surrounded by thousands of people. In these situations, I always think of Jay Maisel’s advise to focus on singular subjects vs the larger tapestry and found that subject on the shoulders of his father.